


nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy

by aletterinthenameofsanity



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: ALEXIA AND NOEE BECOME GIRLFRIENDS, ALSO RESPECTING OUR DEAF CHARACTERS TOO, ARTHUR MOVES IN WITH ELU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur & Lucas bonding over their shitty dads, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Communication, Deaf Character, Did i just rewrite the whole of season 5?, F/F, Fix-It, Friendship, Fuck it all I'm going to try to fix some of this mess, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Le Crew and Le Gang learn LSF, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, NOT THAT HARD RIGHT @SKAMFR WRITERS, POV Lucas, RESPECTING OUR FEMALE CHARACTERS, Season/Series 05, because the season ALSO didn't address that, divergent literally after the NYE scene so there's that, get rid of the romantic drama, hey let's make noee bi and get rid of the love triangle entirely, i just really wanted to get this out to you guys, i wrote this in like two hours so apologies for any typos, it may suck but it can't be worse than the actual season right?, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22836850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aletterinthenameofsanity/pseuds/aletterinthenameofsanity
Summary: "Guys," Arthur says, and Lucas reaches out and pats Arthur's shoulder, trying to somehow give Arthur some kind of reassurance. "I have something I need to tell you.""You're gay, aren't you?" Basile asks, and Lucas and Arthur both blink at him. He seems completely sincere, though, as he reaches a hand out to Arthur. "You're pulling apart from us like dear Lulu did last year. You know we'll accept you, right, man?"Lucas gets only a moment to process that- the fact that Basile cares enough that he picked up on the fact that Arthur is hiding and that he immediately is trying to make sure that Arthur knows that he's accepted, definitely showing how much Basile's grown from before Lucas came out last year- before Arthur shakes his head."Bas," Arthur says, voice measured, "I'm bi, yeah, but that's not what I wanted to tell you all."Lucas blinks at the casualness of Arthur's confession before Arthur moves on to the real substance of his confession: "I've lost my hearing," he says, "And the treatment the doctor gave me to fix it didn't work."(Arthur loses his hearing and learns how to adjust, meeting new friends and keeping old ones along the way- no romantic drama needed.)
Relationships: Arthur Broussard/Original Male Character, Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant, Lucas Lallemant & Arthur Broussard, Noée Daucet/Alexia Martineau
Comments: 13
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [surrealsunday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/surrealsunday/gifts).



> Title is from "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes" by Fall Out Boy.
> 
> So after today's clips...well, let's just say that I'm pissed, alright? I'm pissed at the love triangle and the cheating and the unnecessary drama and the cheating comments from yesterday and the FUCKING CAR CRASH from today and, well, I'm just tired, okay? I'm tired of Skam France starting off their seasons so well (this season and Season 4, don't pretend I've gotten over that trainwreck) and then destroying them with drama and love triangles and everything SO this is some attempt at a fix it. It'll mostly be a rewrite of the first half of the season, but hopefully by the end you guys will feel better about it than the empty feeling canon is giving me right now. Alright, cool? Cool. Hope you enjoy!

When Arthur and Alexia lingered after everyone else left Lucas and Eliott’s housewarming party, Lucas honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Did they just want a few moments in a relatively quiet place to have a romantic moment and turn their friends-with-benefits relationship into something more? Did they want a place to make out for a few minutes? Are they just too drunk to move for a few minutes?

Whatever’s going on, Lucas decides to give them a few minutes to do whatever, instead heading to the kitchen to clean up. He throws the beer bottles into trash bags and wipes down the counters- the table will be for later- before returning to the living room to check up on Arthur and Alexia.

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't, however, to turn the corner and find them sitting on the couch, Alexia hugging Arthur with tears in her eyes.

“What the fuck happened in my living room?” Lucas asks, and they both pull apart.

“Alexia and I were just talking,” Alexia says, “And he told me about-” She goes quiet for a moment, glancing to Arthur, and then holds up her phone. She types a few things and then, a few moments later, Lucas' phone buzzes with an alert for a new group chat. His brow furrows as he takes in Alexia's text: **Listen to Arthur, ok?**

“My hearing went really bad at the New Year’s Eve party,” Arthur says, “And I took a trip to the doctor’s office and he said he was going to give me a treatment that would work to get my hearing back. He said it should return within a few days, but that in the meantime, I'll only be working with a very low level of sound compared to what I'm used to.

Lucas sits down on the sofa, typing furiously into his phone: **Shit, should you be here? Surrounded by loud noises? Shouldn’t you be home trying to rest your ears or something?** He thinks about the nights when everything is too much for Eliott, when he needs to stay home and recuperate in order to set his mind to rights after days of just too much. Lucas isn’t sure how a physical disability compares to a mental illness, but he thinks that they probably have something in common, right?

Arthur reads the text and, somehow, grins at Lucas. "Thanks for the worry, but it wasn't that loud tonight. I'm not going partying this weekend or next week, and I should be good beyond that."

So Lucas sends another text: **Are you going to tell the guys?**

Arthur shakes his head. “Not yet,” he says, and Lucas frowns. He can remember last school year, all alone in his own head, his problems driving a rift between him and the guys because he was scared of telling them the truth and they were scared _for_ him.

**Are you sure?**

Arthur nods. "I'm going to tell them if it gets worse. But for now, while the treatment's going, I, well-"  Arthur looks to Lucas, a plea half-formed in his eyes. "I'm going to tell them, I swear, if things get bad. I just don't want to worry them needlessly in the meantime."

**Then why did you tell me?** Lucas asks, **And Alexia? If you're convinced that the treatment will work?**

"Well, I wanted to tell Alexia because we've been hooking up and shit," Arthur says, "And, well, I wanted to tell you because I wanted you and Eliott to know. I thought-" Arthur swallows, and Lucas' heart breaks for his uncertainty- the same uncertainty that he sees on Eliott's face sometimes. "I thought that you two might understand."

"Understand what?" Eliott asks, walking into the room. He'd been in the bathroom, probably also having left to give Arthur and Alexia the space they needed to talk.

"That I might be going deaf," Arthur says, and Eliott blinks. He sits down on the chair next to the sofa, expression softening as he looks at Arthur.

"That's a lot to deal with," Eliott says as Lucas's phone buzzes with a notification for _another_ group chat. This time Eliott's phone buzzes too, and he picks it up to see Alexia's message of: **Easier to type here.**

Eliott texts back instantly: **Is there anything I can do to help?**

Arthur shakes his head. "Not really," he says, "Not right now. We don't know yet if the treatment to get my hearing back is going to work or not." He smiles at Eliott, though. "Thanks for offering, though. It's really appreciated."

 **Not a problem,** Eliott texts back, **We're here for you if you ever need it, ok?**

Arthur's smile widens just a little as he looks around at the three of them, Alexia and Lucas nodding in agreement. "Thanks," he says, voice overflowing with emotion.

 **Anytime,** Lucas texts back.

-

On Friday, on his way to lunch, Lucas gets a text:

**The treatment didn't work. I'm going to tell them.**

Lucas sucks in a breath. **i believe in u, man, & i'll be there for u. good luck.**

When Arthur opens his mouth to tell Basile and Yann, he has his phone sitting in front of him, screen open to what looks like a translation app that types out text as people speak. T here are shadows under his eyes as if he hasn't been sleeping much- and damn can Lucas relate-  but there's a resolve in his gaze as he sits down at the lunch table.

(Lucas understands how scary this must be. Being deaf and being gay don't necessarily have much in common on the surface, but the anxiety of telling your friends about what's going on, the fear of coming out about such a personal, private section of your life- Lucas gets that. He really does.)

"Guys," Arthur says, and Lucas reaches out and pats Arthur's shoulder, trying to somehow give Arthur some kind of reassurance. "I have something I need to tell you."

"You're gay, aren't you?" Basile asks, and Lucas and Arthur both blink at him. He seems completely sincere, though, as he reaches a hand out to Arthur. "You're pulling apart from us like dear Lulu did last year. You know we'll accept you, right, man?"

Lucas gets only a moment to process that- the fact that Basile cares enough that he picked up on the fact that Arthur is hiding and that he immediately is trying to make sure that Arthur knows that he's accepted, definitely showing how much Basile's grown from before Lucas came out last year- before Arthur shakes his head.

"Bas," Arthur says, voice measured, "I'm bi, yeah, but that's not what I wanted to tell you all."

Lucas blinks at the casualness of Arthur's confession, making a note to talk to Arthur about that later, before Arthur moves on to the real substance of his confession: "I've lost my hearing," he says, "And the treatment the doctor gave me to fix it didn't work."

The expressions on Basile's and Yann's faces go instantly sympathetic. "Then how are you hearing?" Basile immediately asks, all concern, all care, and Lucas is happy to see that his friend has matured so much- or, maybe, that Lucas is just getting to see a different side of Basile than he got to see last school year.

Arthur lifts his phone off of the table to show them. "Translation app," he says, "It was recommended to me by this deaf community group that the doctor gave me the Instagram of until I master sign language."

Lucas lifts his phone and sends a text in the Le Gang groupchat: **though it is a lot easier to just text Arthur like this for now until we all learn LSF.**

Basile and Yann both read the texts on their phones, Yann shooting off a: **LSF?**

"French Sign Language," Arthur says, reading off the text from where it's come in on his phone. "This girl from ASSOJS, the deaf community group I was talking about, has started teaching me it."

"Ooh," Basile says, wiggling his eyebrows as he types: **A girl?**

Arthur rolls his eyes- which somehow relaxes Lucas, this sign of Arthur's usual dry sense of humor. "Not like that, Baz," he says, "She's just a friend. I don't really have room on my plate right now for romance while I'm trying to figure out, you know..." He gestures to his ears.

 **What about Alexia, though?** Basile types, and it's a sincere question despite its ill-timing.

"She and I agreed to stop our whole thing while I'm figuring everything out," Arthur says, somehow far more patient with Basile this year than Lucas was last year. "It was a lot of fun, but like I said, I wanted to focus on figuring shit out and learning how to deal with this. I'm going to have to learn a whole new language, after all."

 **And we'll learn it with you,** Yann types, and there's something shimmering in the corner of Arthur's eyes as he looks up at them all.

"Really?"

"Of course!" Basile agrees before remembering to send it in text form a moment later, but Arthur seems to have gotten the message anyway as his eyes are wide and there's the largest of smiles on his lips.

Then he gestures, pulling his hand forward and down from his mouth and chin.

 **What does that mean?** Lucas texts, and Arthur smiles at them all.

"Thank you," he says, and Lucas reaches over and pulls him into a hug in the middle of the cafeteria because fuck it, who cares what people think? Arthur is one of his best friends and he deserves to be reassured and loved as much as possible.

-

Arthur brings them all- Le Gang and Alexia- to the next ASSOJS meeting and that's when Alexia meets Noée.

Alexia, of all of their friends, is having the easiest time picking up LSF, even faster of a time than Arthur is, and Noée's eyes go wide with pleasant surprise when Alexia's hands move- not too fast, but still _communicates_ with her, in her own language. Alexia smiles brightly as Noée half-smirks, lips curving upward in a flirtatious smile.

"Do you think...?" Lucas asks Eliott quietly, glancing to the side to find his boyfriend smiling softly at Alexia and Noée.

"I think it's a definite possibility," Eliott says, voice soft, and looks to Lucas, his smile soft and adoring. "Alexia's definitely willing to put in the effort to communicate and work things out. Reminds me of someone, don't you think?"

Lucas suddenly feels the urge to pull Eliott in for a rather long kiss, but he's not sure how appropriate it would be to suck his boyfriend's face when they've just been invited to enter a safe space for a community they don't belong to yet, so instead he just reaches out and entwines his fingers with Eliott's, squeezing them in agreement. Eliott beams at him and Lucas smiles right back as he watches Arthur clumsily signing to the older guy that was with Noée when they arrived, introducing the guy- apparently named Camille- to Yann and Basile.

Lucas thinks- and certainly hopes- that Arthur will have an easier time of getting his two worlds to adjust to each other than Lucas did. Less fear, less hiding from friends, more understanding along the way.

-

**Mind if I invite a friend along to the lazer tag night?** Alexia texts in the giant combined Le Crew-Le Gang groupchat that they set up after their trip to ASSOJS. They're all on their way to learning sign language, some faster than others (Alexia's a clear front runner, with Imane, Lucas, and surprisingly Basile and Emma right behind her, with Eliott, Daphne, and Yann trying their best but still occasionally fucking it all up), but for now this is what they've got.

Arthur, Daphne, Imane, and Yann had been the ones to set up the lazer tag idea after extensive planning and consulting with Arthur to make sure that he'll be good with it. 

_Trust me, me being deaf will actually be an advantage,_ he'd signed with a smirk, though Lucas isn't quite sure how Arthur being deaf could possibly be an advantage. He doesn't question it, though, instead respecting Arthur's feelings about his own disability.

(Lucas knows that a year ago, he wouldn't have been half this respectful of Arthur's boundaries and opinions. He probably would have charged in, assuming Google knew best, just like he did with Eliott's bipolar. Being with Eliott has definitely let Lucas learn how to be more respectful of other's views on their own problems, teaching Lucas how to ask first before assuming the answer.)

 **Sure,** Imane texts back, **The more the merrier.**

Lucas can't help but muffle a laugh into Eliott's shoulder when he sees just who Alexia has arrived with- it's Noée, bright neon yellow paint smeared across her cheeks, glasses glinting in the UV light.

 _I'm ready to kick ass_ , she signs to Alexia, who fist bumps her before pulling her in for a hug.

 _We can always use the help_ , Alexia signs back, eyes bright, and Eliott winks at Lucas, almost making Lucas regret the fact that since Eliott had the night off tonight, Lucas had felt completely happy inviting his boyfriend to lazer tag. He just knows that Eliott is going to hold this over his head later- a fact that Lucas actually doesn't mind too much, even if that's only because it's Eliott.

(And the fact that he knows that Eliott will be so smug- and excited- over the fact that Alexia and Noée are most likely a _thing_ that he'll turn it into an excuse to make out with Lucas- a fact that Lucas is _completely_ okay with.)

By the end of the night, the girls have won one game and the boys have won the other, and they all go out to grab ice cream afterwards- a decision all of them question, since it's still the middle of February, but that no one seems too inclined to argue with because they're teenagers and allowed to make stupid decisions.

Once they all get their ice cream they split out to table. Basile, Daphne, and the girls sit together, while Arthur, Yann, Eliott, and Lucas sit at another table. Alexia and Noée sit together at a third table, legs pressed up against each other, laughing and staring into each others' eyes.

"Yeah," Lucas says into Eliott's ear, "You're definitely right."

"Aren't I always, my hedgehog?" Eliott says with a smile as he digs into a bowl of pistachio ice cream, and none of that should be attractive, but it somehow, god knows why, is.

"If I admit you are, will I get a kiss?" Lucas asks, and Eliott smiles softly at him, all fondness and adoration in a way that makes Lucas' heart race, just a little, even after all these months that they've been together.

"You can always get a kiss," Eliott says, leaning in for a kiss that only ends when Lucas catches a flash of hands out of the corner of his eyes.

 _I don't even know what they just said,_ Arthur says with a smile on his face that belies the sarcasm in his comment, _But I know it was sappy as fuck._

Lucas is all too happy to flip Arthur off in response, a gesture that needs no sign language to translate.

-

The doorbell rings at Eliott and Lucas' flat a week later and Lucas opens the door to find Arthur there, drenched to the bone from the rain, a bag in his hands and eyes rimmed in red as if he's been crying. To Lucas' horror there's a bruise rapidly growing on Arthur's cheekbone, right under his glasses- which seem to be cracked on the side of the bruise.

 _I need a place to stay_ , Arthur signs, finally having gotten used to his new language, and Lucas immediately ushers him inside.

"Eliott, I need a clean set of clothes!" he shouts over his shoulder, and Eliott emerges from the bedroom where he'd been working on his film for school. He halts, though, when he sees Arthur, before dashing back into their room for clothes. Lucas takes Arthur's bag from his slackened fingers and sets it on one of the kitchen stools before gently pulling Arthur down the hallway just a bit to the bathroom. Eliott returns with a shirt of Lucas', pants of Eliott's, and a hoodie and boxers that Lucas can even remember who owned first.

 _Why don't you change before you tell us what happened?_ Lucas offers, speaking at the same time to make sure that Eliott's catching all of what he's saying. _And I'll go make some coffee while you do._

Arthur nods, and Lucas pulls Eliott out of the bathroom to give Arthur a moment to himself- a moment (or minutes) that Arthur definitely needs to work through whatever happened to bring him to their door tonight.

Lucas sets the coffee pot going before turning to Eliott. "Whatever happened to him," Lucas says, "He can stay for as long as he wants, right?"

Eliott nods vehemently. "Of course," he says, "Arthur's family."

And he is, really- not just Lucas', but Eliott's, too. In the year since they both first met each other, Lucas' friends and Le Crew and Idriss and Sofiane and even Mika and Lisa have all somehow become one large family, of sorts, of the kind that Lucas never had beforehand- and of the kind that he knows Eliott appreciates far more than he says.

"Thank you," Lucas says with a small sigh of relief, and Eliott just steps forward and pulls Lucas into a hug, holding him close.

"No need to thank me," he says, kissing the top of Lucas's hair, and Lucas presses his face into Eliott's shirt and just stands there in Eliott's warmth for a few moments, breathing him in, remembering just how loved and safe he is in a way that he's never really been before in his life.

They only break apart when they hear the bathroom door open. Arthur emerges within a few moments, dressed in dry clothes, his hair messy from being towel-dried.

 _I hung my wet clothes up over your shower rod,_ Arthur says, _I hope that was okay._

 _Of course it was,_ Lucas signs to Arthur as he gestures him forward to the able, sitting him down as the coffee pot beeps and Eliott heads over to pour the coffee into mugs- about the extent of how far Lucas trusts Eliott in the kitchen. Eliott then drops some sugar and cream into the mugs and brings them over, setting them down in front of Lucas and Arthur. Arthur wraps his fingers around his and lifts it to his mouth to take a sip, which visibly relaxes his face, and Eliott sits down next to Lucas so that Arthur can see both of them easily when they're signing.

 _Do you feel comfortable telling us what happened?_ Lucas signs once Arthur has set the mug back down.

 _My Dad got pissed after I yelled at him that I didn't want to be a doctor and never could because of me being deaf,_ Arthur signs, his gestures a little messy because of his shaking hands but the message still getting across. _And, well..._ He gestures to his face and no words need to be spoken to explain what happened.

Lucas takes in a sharp breath. He knows about shitty dads. He knows about child abuse- even if it took him months to accept that _that_ was really what happened to him, back with his mother and father. He knows about how much it hurts to know that the person who was supposed to protect you only hurt you, in the end.

 _I'm sorry_ , Lucas says, because he is. Because he wishes that things could be different. Because he wishes that bad things didn't happen to kids who didn't deserve them. _You don't deserve that._

Arthur looks Lucas straight in the eyes and something passes between them, something hard and comforting in its ugliness passing understood between them.

 _You can stay with us for as long as you want_ , Eliott then signs, the gestures firm and pointed, and a small flare of pride rises in Lucas' chest.

 _Are you sure?_ Arthur signs back, and Eliott and Lucas both nod firmly, because Lucas understands shitty dads, Eliott understands disabilities, and both of them know what it's like to be rejected for something they can't control.

 _Of course,_ Eliott says, just as he said to Lucas when he asked if Arthur could stay with them, just as he once said to Lucas when Lucas asked if Eliott wanted to move into an apartment with him.

Arthur glances between both of them before nodding. _Thank you,_ he says, and Lucas just smiles.

_No problem._

-

Arthur and Lucas arrive at school the next day to find Le Crew and Le Gang already hanging out, grinning over something on Alexia's phone.

"Hey!" Basile shouts as they get near, signing almost automatically along with what he's saying, "Guess who Alexia finally asked out last night?"

"Lemme take one guess," Lucas says (and signs) with a snort as Alexia holds up her phone, showing off an Instagram photo she'd apparently posted last night of her and Noée, holding hands and kissing at a cute hipster cafe.

(Neither Lucas nor Arthur had checked Instagram last night, instead staying up late crashed on the couch watching movies with Eliott and devouring popcorn.)

 _Congrats!_ Arthur signs to Alexia, who blows a kiss in his direction with bright eyes.

 _Thanks for introducing us,_ she signs, _I'll forever be in your debt!_

 _Do you want to tell them?_ Lucas signs to Arthur when everyone goes back to awwing over the photo and asking Alexia about the details of the date.

 _I'll tell them before the end of the week, I promise,_ Arthur says, _After I get fully settled in_ , and Lucas can't really argue with that, can he? He wants Arthur to feel as comfortable as possible living with him and Eliott, for him to never feel unwelcome in their apartment like Lucas did for a few weeks in Mika and Lisa's flat last year. Sure, Arthur kind of _has_ to have the sofa at his and Eliott's apartment, unlike Lucas who eventually got back a bedroom of his own, but Lucas hopes that for now Arthur feels comfortable in their apartment.

Wait a moment- now _there_ 's an idea for where Arthur can move to if he ever starts to feel trapped in Lucas and Eliott's apartment. Maybe Mika and Lisa are looking into a new roommate- maybe he could ask them about it. Maybe Arthur could feel even better with a room of his own.

Whatever they end up doing, though, Lucas only cares about whether or not Arthur feels comfortable and safe. If that's at Lucas and Eliott's, then they'll be picking up a third roommate for however long it might take. If it's at Mika and Lisa's, then all the more power to Arthur for the decision.

 _Whatever you're comfortable with, Arthur_ , Lucas signs to him, and Arthur smiles back.

_Thanks, Lucas._

Lucas almost protests that it was no problem, that he's happy to help Arthur out as much as possible- just like Arthur did with him last year- but he doesn't need to. He knows that Arthur understands. He knows that Arthur knows just as well that he does that helping out someone you care about is never a problem, especially never over something like this.

 _Now let's go tease Alexia,_ Arthur says with a grin, and Lucas returns the smile.

_Great idea._


	2. Arthur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bisexual rep, no cheating drama, Arthur finding a deaf boyfriend, Arthur+Lucas bonding over shitty fathers, and Elu communication? What timeline is this?
> 
> Recommended listening: "Ribs" by Lorde, "Nightmares" by Easy Life, and "Young Volanoes" by Fall Out Boy.

Arthur can’t hear anymore, and so he doesn’t notice at first that Lucas is yelling into the phone in the kitchen. He doesn't realize that anything is going on outside of his homework at first, just continuing to fill out his Bio problems, until Lucas plops down on the chair by the sofa, dropping his face down into his trembling hands, which Arthur _definitely_ notices. He notices the way that Lucas' entire posture is bent and shaking, the way that his hands are clenched against his face.

He gives Lucas a minute to calm down, for the shaking to slow, before reaching over and tapping Lucas on the shoulder. Lucas looks up at him, and Arthur can see the red rimming his eyes and the tear tracks on his face.

 _What happened?_ Arthur asks, and Lucas takes a deep breath, his nostrils flaring.

 _Shit with my Dad,_ he signs nearly perfectly. It’s been over three months since Arthur went deaf and Lucas, Alexia, Imane, and Basile are basically fluent by now, with Imane rather close as well.

Arthur gets “shit with his Dad.” He has his own shit, after all, the kind of shit that landed him here, sleeping on Lucas and Eliott’s couch as he tries to get his bearings and figure out how to graduate and find a home for himself on top of his hearing loss- a tall order which leaves him constantly thanking god that he has the friend group that he does.

 _What kind of shit?_ Arthur asks, and Lucas opens his mouth for just a moment, his fingers twitching, but then Lucas' head jerks up, as if hearing a sound, and then quickly wipes his eyes and puts a smile on his lips, and Arthur’s pretty sure that that must mean that Eliott’s home, despite the fact that he has no idea if the door opened or not.

(It’s hard, sometimes, that Arthur can’t hear sound like doors opening or thumps that others can. He doesn’t have advance warning of people coming in, of people arriving, no time to prepare conversations.) 

_Don’t tell him, okay?_ Lucas signs, _I don’t need to worry him._

Arthur can see a million reasons why he doesn't want to listen to what Lucas is saying, but he looks at Lucas' face, remembers his expression from just a few moments ago, and he nods. There are some things that only you should have the choice to tell, things that no one else should rip the opportunity from you to come out about.

Eliott enters the room in that moment, having shed his jacket and shoes at the door, and Lucas' face lights up, as it always does when he sees his boyfriend.

 _How was your day, baby?_ Lucas signs, and Arthur can see his lips moving, so he knows that he's speaking the words aloud, too.

 _Perfect, now that I'm here with you_ , Eliott signs and says, mouth moving, and Arthur can't help but smile at just how easy and sappy their relationship is with each other. He settles back on the couch, going to work on his homework, enjoying the fact that his flatmates are at such ease around him that they can be this affectionate with each other.

-

As Arthur falls asleep that night, he answers texts from various friends. Noée, Camille, and Pierre from ASSOJS, Alexia, Yann, and Basile. Alexia and Noée are texting him about each other, Camille about upcoming events with ASSOJS, Pierre he thinks is edging towards flirting with him, and the boys- well, they don't know about everything that went down with his father yet, but their regular supply of inane chatter is comforting in its own way.

There is one number that is conspicuously absent, though.

Arthur blocked his mom's phone number from his phone yesterday, after texting her that he was okay, so that she wouldn't worry if she even cares (he hopes to God that she cares, that she won't side with his dad over him).

The thing is- he wants to believe in her. He wants her to be the kind of mom he always thought her to be, loving and warm and comforting. He honestly misses her a lot, misses her easy smiles and her hugs.

But the thing is also: he doesn't know if she knew. He doesn't know if she let his father treat him like that.

And Arthur doesn't think he could bear to have it confirmed.

So for now, while he's figuring out living away from home, when he's trying to somehow sort out the pieces of his life while escaping from his father, living with Eliott and Lucas, and adjusting to his deafness, he's just going to push the issue of his mother to the side and focus on other stuff instead.

-

They’re on the bus on the way to school the next day, Eliott’s at university studying filmmaking, and Arthur’s mind is still stuck on the conversation Lucas had been having with his father last night- a conversation that had him angry and crying but that he hadn’t said a word about to Eliott about.

 _What happened last night?_ Arthur asks, trying to be careful. He doesn't want to ruin Lucas' day so early on by bringing up his father, but he _does_ want to know what's going on with Lucas' father, what possibly could have provoked the kind of response he saw last night.

 _My father’s shit in a different way than your father’s shit,_ Lucas explains on the bus that they take back to his and Eliott’s house that afternoon after school. _He was an utter jackass, but he never beat me or anything. But my mom has schizophrenia and he treated her like shit because of it._ Lucas swallows, taking a deep breath, and then continues with: _There were times where he would leave for days during her episodes and I had to watch over her and take care of both her and myself. I would make dinner and put myself on the bus to school and try to keep her from burning down the house when she was trying to "protect" us from the angels she thought she saw._

 _How old were you when he first left?_ Arthur asks, dreading the answer, dreading the answer of how far back the damage stretches, of how old the scars lie.

Lucas smiles wryly. _I was eight_ , he signs, and Arthur sucks in a sharp breath at the idea of tiny little Lucas trying to cook and burning himself on the oven, trying to take care of his mom while she was out of her mind, putting himself on the bus at that age without a parent to protect or guide him.

 _And anyway, life kept going that way until I was fifteen and he left us entirely,_ Lucas continues, _For a month and a half I didn’t know where he was or what he was doing, and it was just me and mom until the moment the divorce papers arrived._

 _And how is your mother, now?_ Arthur asks.

 _She’s doing better_ , Lucas says, his smile shifting from its former grimace into something almost fond. _She stayed in a clinic for awhile last school year, but she's back to living in her own apartment now. She has a part-time job at the corner grocery store and she's doing a lot better nowadays._

Wait a minute. She was in a clinic last year? That means that she must have been a clinic right around the time that-

 _Shit_ , Arthur signs. No wonder Lucas reacted so badly to Arthur's comments about his family last year. It wasn't just the stress from keeping his sexuality a secret- it was all of that, too. _I’m sorry. I said that shit about your family-_

Lucas waves it away. _I’m long over it, I promise. What you said was the least of my problems that night._ His nostrils flare and Arthur thinks he might be snorting. _What matters is that I have a new home and a new family beyond just my parents. I talk to my mom a lot more nowadays and my Dad, well, I deal with him._

Despite the fact that there are a good million answers to the question, Arthur still asks: _So why were you fighting with your Dad the other night?_

 _I’m not eighteen yet so he has to pay at least part of my rent_ , Lucas says, and there’s some measure of anger starting to grow on his face. _And he’s late getting it to me. Said that it was because of_ _my bad life decisions, blaming my mom's most recent episode on me moving out and going on and on about how much it cost to pay my rent and my mother's most recent clinic bill and how much his new family cost, too, a_ _nd, well…_ Lucas takes a deep breath. _I came out to him over the phone. And let’s just say he saw it as one more thing that was wrong with me and my mom._

Arthur remembers how easy it was for his own father to pick up on every small thing he could find wrong with Arthur and his mother.

Lucas is right. Their fathers aren’t the same. But the damage that was inflicted, the abuse that was suffered- it had similar impacts.

(Arthur thinks about him and Lucas, about Noée and how her family basically shunned her out of the house at age fifteen because they couldn’t handle her deafness, about how the three of them have found family far beyond the ones they were born into.)

But still: Why _didn't you want to tell Eliott?_

Lucas' expression shifts, his mouth going into a tight line. _He already has so much to worry about,_ Lucas says, _I don't want my problems to be yet another burden he has to carry._

Arthur doesn't really like the idea of Lucas keeping all of this bottled up and not talking to Eliott about it. He doesn't like the idea of Lucas, once again, taking all of the world's burdens onto his own shoulders.

But he doesn't think it's really his place to step into the middle of things. He doesn't want to put more stress on Lucas than he already is by crashing at their place, especially since he _is_ crashing rent-free until he figures out how to deal with the whole situation with his father. (A situation which Lucas and Eliott have both told him, multiple times, he can take as long as he needs to figure out.) 

So Arthur doesn't say anything to Lucas about it. He doesn't encourage him to be open with Eliott. He just sets his doubts to the side for now and just nods at Lucas. _I won't say a word to him,_ Arthur says.

-

Arthur tells the boys about living at Lucas’ that Friday, explaining everything that's gone on with his father and moving into Lucas and Eliott's, and Basile and Yann pull him into a group hug.

 _You know you're always welcome at my house, right, man?_ Basile signs when they're in Bio later that day, and Arthur nods. Basile was the first friend Arthur made here in Paris when he moved here a few years ago, at the beginning of lycee- he knows that Basile loves and cares about him.

 _You're my best friend,_ Arthur says, _I know you're always there for me._

Basile's eyes shine with unshed tears as he smiles at Arthur. _I love you, man._

_Love you too, Basile._

-

Then Arthur goes to ASSOJS and talks to Noée about it all.

 _You're lucky that you have friends that are so accepting and_ supportive, Noée says.

 _Lucky that you're friends with me,_ _too_ , he says, _Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten to meet Alexia._ Noée blushes at the tease and Arthur grins. _Speaking of which... you and Alexia?_

Noée smiles and nods. _Hearing people don't really understand us, and I've been fucked over plenty in my time, but Alexia..._ Her smile goes soft with her use of Alexia's name sign, which basically translates to "unicorn." _She's put so much effort into understanding me and making time for me and paying attention to my needs in a way that no one else ever has._

 _Alexia's always been really great like that_ , Arthur says, _I'm glad that you two found each other._

 _Aw,_ Noée says, giving him the brightest of smiles, _You're really a sappy one, Arthur._ His name sign, given to him by Camille about a month after Arthur started learning sign language, is the the letter "A" followed by the sign for "artist-" a name sign that Arthur can't really protest.

Arthur shrugs. _You should meet my flatmates and you'll see just who rubbed off on me._

 _You know I'd love to meet Eliott and Lucas again,_ Noée says with a fond smile.

 _They're having a party at their place in a couple of weeks,_ Arthur says, _And I'm know you're welcome there._

 _As long as I get to bring Alexia, I'm in,_ Noée says, and Arthur nods.

 _Of course you can,_ Arthur says, grins teasing, _She was my friend first, after all._

Noée's eyes go wide and she elbows him in the side in response to his teasing words.

-

Arthur stopped his and Alexia's friends-with-benefits arrangement months ago in order to focus on adjusting to being deaf and integrating himself into the community better (he saw how hard it was for Lucas to figure out being gay while balancing relationships and he had decided not to complicate shit anymore than he needed to). But now that he's pretty much figured shit out, well, he starts to think about dating again.

The boys were all really chill about him coming out as bi. He hadn't expected not to be, to be honest- Le Gang is basically the Lucas/Eliott fan club- but it still was nice to see the slight pronoun shift when they asked him about who he was hooking up with.

So his fear, going back into dating and hooking up, isn't so much how his friends will react. It's how potential partners might react when they find out that he's deaf.

The boy that Arthur has an interest in, though, he doesn't think that he'll have that fear of judgement with.

Pierre Laurent, a twenty-year-old member of ASSOJS, has been deaf for three years now. It was caused by a rather bad case of the flu that ended up with him taking a trip to the hospital that had ended with him walking out with severe hearing loss. He hears a little better than Arthur does- Pierre, at least, can hear bass noises if they're at a decently loud volume- but he still needs sign language to communicate.

Pierre understands the struggles that Arthur's gone through. He understands having to adjust at a later age. Despite the two year age difference between them, he gets Arthur like few others do.

Pierre's in his second year of culinary school and is studying to be a chef- not the most convenient job in the world when you're deaf, but he says that's it's working out well. His favorite things to sign about are movies, food, and superheroes- all interests that Arthur can get behind. He's got a head of black curls, flawless dark brown skin, and dark brown eyes that are just as prone to laughter as Eliott's. He smiles with ease and connects easily with Arthur's interests in both art and psychology, connecting Arthur's points on social psych with details about movie making in a way that sends as much of a thrill through Arthur's spine as making out with Pierre after their date does.

 _See you soon?_ Pierre asks, eyes sparkling, as they leave the cafe that night.

 _Of course,_ Arthur responds, unable to keep from smiling at the prospect.

-

When Arthur gets home from his first date with Pierre, he finds Eliott sitting on the couch. The door to his and Lucas' bedroom is shut, which is a usual indicator that Lucas is working on homework. Usually Eliott would be content working on editing some film thing on his computer, sitting on the couch or at the counter, but tonight Eliott is hunched over on the couch, expression drawn, fingers tapping at his lips as he stares, almost unseeing, at the tv in front of him.

(Arthur can see the subtitles on the show that Eliott's watching, and he nearly smiles at the fact that subtitles have become a permanent fixture on the TV in the apartment, whether or not he's actually in the room. It says something about how used his friends have gotten to helping accommodate for Arthur's hearing loss without even thinking about it nowadays.)

"You okay, Eliott?" Arthur signs (and says). He doesn't know if his voice has gotten more accented since he stopped being able to hear it, but he also knows that Eliott won't judge him no matter how he sounds. He feels comfortable using his accented voice around Eliott in a way that he isn't around almost anyone else. Not only is Eliott his now-flatmate of sorts, but Eliott understands having a part of him that others don't really understand, a disability or mental illness that sets him apart. He's also just one of the most genuine people that Arthur knows- Arthur knows that Eliott won't judge him for his accent.

 _I'm worried about Lucas_ , Eliott says, and his brow is furrowed, his expression drawn, and it seems like there are shadows gathering under his eyes. Eliott is worried about his boyfriend- and rightfully so. _He keeps jumping when he gets texts and is kind of snappy lately._

Arthur bites his bottom lip. It's clear that Lucas hasn't told Eliott about his father yet, and that instead of keeping unnecessary pressure from Eliott, he's had the exact opposite effect. Eliott's clearly seriously concerned about Lucas to the point where it's starting to interrupt his usual habits and routines.

"Isn't he just kind of snappy like that a lot?" Arthur asks even as he winces internally. He's got to have a conversation with Lucas about being honest and open with Eliott.

 _Lucas certainly has a short temper,_ Eliott says, _But this...it isn't like him._ Eliott swallows deep and Arthur actually thinks he can see tears gathering in his eyes. _God, Arthur, I care about him so much and I don't want him hurt, you know?_

Eliott's always been a lot more open about his emotions than Lucas has. Arthur can definitely understand why Lucas keeps things close to the chest- with fathers like theirs, ready to make fun of them for showing emotion, it's not strange at all- but that tendency for self-preservation, even if it's being used for selfless reasons, can destroy your relationships with others if you let it.

"I'll talk to him," Arthur says, "Ask him what's going on." (Tell him to get his head out of his ass and talk to you, more like.)

-

 _You need to talk to Eliott,_ Arthur encourages on their way to school the next day, and Lucas shakes his head.

 _I don't want him to have to deal with my shit,_ Lucas says, _I don't want to be a burden on him like that._

 _That's what relationships are for, Lucas_ , Arthur says, _Having someone else who can help take the burden off of our shoulders._ _I know that neither of the two of us are products of functioning adult relationships, but we know that._ Arthur doesn't want to hit Lucas where it hurts. He really doesn't. But he can see where a lack of communication and trust will take Lucas and Eliott. He can see what kind of damage it will make on Lucas to keep everything bottled up. _You don't want to end up like your parents, right?_

Lucas visibly flinches at the comment, his face screwing up in frustration. _I'm nothing like that dickhead_ , he says.

 _And Eliott's not your mother, I know_ , Arthur says. _But h_ _e's made of stronger stuff than you're making him out to be. He's not exactly fragile._

 _But I don't want to risk an episode-_ Lucas says, his face crumpling just a bit, and in this moment Arthur can see just how young he is. 

Lucas is so good at acting like the mature one of the group, the one who has all of his shit together- he has a flat that he's living in with his long-term boyfriend and has already applied for several med schools- that it's sometimes so easy to just believe him, to think of him as nothing less than that. It's so easy to forget about the reasons why he is where he is today.

Lucas never got to have the childhood that others did. Instead, from a young age, he was relegated to a parental role to his mother and neglected by his father and he was forced to take on so many responsibilities just to survive.

The thing is, it's not just everyone else who forgets that Lucas isn't the adult he has had to be for years- Lucas forgets to let himself let go, sometimes, too. He forgets that he doesn't have to shoulder all that responsibility. He forgets that sometimes it's okay to lean on others, to open up to them, to depend on them for strength.

Arthur knows what that's like because he does it, too, just in a different way, substituting obvious emotional guardedness for a sense of humor that distracts people from his problems. He employed it regularly last year, preferring to not actually have to deal with his shit with other people, but last month, when his father beat him after he finally stood up to him, Arthur made a choice to escape. He made a choice to leave and move in with Lucas and Eliott and lean on his friends for safety and comfort and _home_.

And Arthur wants Lucas to make the same decision. He wants Lucas to realize the same thing could be true for him, too.

 _You won't,_ Arthur says, _Trust me. All that you're accomplishing by not telling Eliott is making him worried about you._

Lucas' brow furrows, expression going just a little worried. _He is?_

Arthur nods, reaching out and taking Lucas' hand in his. Lucas's hand flinches, just a little, under his before relaxing back, and Arthur wishes that Lucas had gotten physical comfort in his life much longer ago than just last year. Then he lets go of Lucas' hand just long enough to sign: _Just talk to him, please?_

Lucas looks at Arthur, really looks at him, refuses to stop staring at him, and Arthur looks right back, refusing to flinch. 

_Alright_ , Lucas signs back, then, in a slightly uncharacteristic move, takes Arthur's hand back and holds it for the rest of the trip until they get to school. Arthur is more than happy to give his friend any sense of support and physical comfort that he might need, just as Lucas and Eliott have been doing for him by letting him stay with them.

-

Instead of heading home with Lucas after school that day, Arthur stays in the common room and works on homework. He has the feeling that Lucas and Eliott are going to need their space.

When Arthur's phone vibrates after a couple of hours with a, **Mind grabbing dinner with Le Gang tonight? Eliott and I are working out our shit** , he smiles. Eliott and Lucas are going to be alright.

Instead of texting Yann and Basile to hang out, though, Arthur texts Pierre. **You free tonight?**

Within five minutes he gets a response: **yeah, i am. u into movies with great queer rep, women kicking ass, and a pretty wicked aesthetic?**

Arthur smiles so wide he thinks his cheeks will start hurting. **Does said movie have subtitles?**

**is Gordon Ramsey our lord and savior?**

**I'll take that as a yes?**

**meet me at the theatre in 15?**

**Sounds great to me :)**

-

Arthur gets back from his date that evening with a flower tucked in his shirt pocket- a gift that Pierre had arrived at the movie theater with- and a smile on his lips. Pierre and him had gotten too distracted trading commentary about the movie and its use of cinematography and soundtrack to actually make out in the theater, but they'd made up for it a little afterwards.

Arthur knocks on the counter as he enters to get the attention of his two flatmates, and they look up from their positions making out on the couch, pulling apart when they see him there, giving each other fond smiles as they do so. Arthur nearly breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of reddened lips and sex hair, clearly from make up sex (hopefully from make up sex as he gave them a good six hours alone in the apartment alone while he was out, and he hopes that they didn't just spend the whole time talking)- everything is finally right with his flatmates.

 _So_ , Arthur signs, _Did you two work out your shit?_

Lucas grins. _Yeah, we did. Thanks for the advice._

 _Yeah,_ Eliott says, reaching out to play with Lucas' hair for a moment before moving his hands to sign. _We definitely owe you._

 _Good,_ Arthur says, _Because I'm going to need advice from both of you._ Eliott arches an eyebrow while Lucas' eyes narrow. _It's about a boy._

Arthur can't hear, but he doesn't really need to in order to tell that Lucas lets out a whoop of excitement, mouth going wide as he pumps a fist in the air. Eliott's shoulders shake with laughter as he smiles wide at Arthur, grin practically lighting up the air.

 _We can definitely be your gurus_ , Eliott signs.

 _Mika will have a fit_ , Lucas signs, eyes lighting up with mischief, and Eliott nudges him in the side. Lucas arches an eyebrow and Eliott ducks in to press a kiss to his temple- a kiss that has Lucas smiling like Eliott has pulled down the moon and given it to him.

 _You two are so fucking in love,_ Arthur signs, _It's almost sickening._

 _You're just jealous,_ Lucas signs, and Arthur shrugs. He's not jealous in the traditional sense- he doesn't begrudge his friends their happiness, not at all- but he does crave the kind of happiness that Lucas and Eliott have.

 _Teach me your ways and I won't have to be,_ Arthur says instead, and Lucas and Eliott smile at him.

 _We can definitely help with that,_ Eliott says.

-

Lucas and Eliott's party goes off without a hitch that Friday night, and Arthur invites Pierre along, even if he's not entirely sure if it's the best idea or not.

Noée and Alexia are also at the same party, as are the girls and a couple of others, thus giving Pierre a couple of familiar faces that Arthur doesn't even have to introduce as he makes his rounds. Instead, Noée and Alexia pause dancing with each other just long enough to wave their hellos to Pierre, who winks back at them.

 _Basile, my best friend,_ Arthur says as he introduces Le Gang. Basile grins and then shakes Pierre's hand a bit too vigorously. _Yann, the coolest guy around._ Yann does a rather "cool guy" salute to Pierre, who smiles before returning it back.

 _And then Eliott and Lucas, my flatmates_ , Arthur ends his trip, and Eliott gives Pierre a winning smile while Lucas just sizes Pierre up, looking him up and down like a Dad judging his child's first boyfriend (a look which Arthur knows Arthur and Eliott are going to be teasing Lucas about tomorrow).

 _Nice to meet you_ , Pierre signs, then holds out a hand to the two of them which is shaken quickly so that they can all have their hands free again to sign.

 _Nice to meet you too, Pierre_ _,_ Eliott signs back, _Arthur's been talking about you a lot recently._ Eliott has the innocent kind of smile that can actually pull off the impression of him being totally unaware of just how much he's embarrassing Arthur.

His boyfriend, on the other hand, is smirking with the full awareness of what Eliott is doing. Lucas lifts a beer to his lips with that smug smile on his lips as Pierre smiles at Arthur. _Oh, he has, has he?_

 _Definitely,_ Eliott says, despite the fact that the first time Arthur mentioned Pierre to either him or Lucas was two nights ago, when he first asked them for boy advice- a question that he, surprisingly, hasn't yet come to regret yet, due to the fact that Lucas and Eliott have actually been pretty chill about the whole thing, limiting their amount of teasing (far more than Basile or Yann would, at least).

 _That's nice to hear_ , Pierre says, leaning in to kiss Arthur's cheek. Pierre tends to avoid hand-holding due to the fact that it makes it far harder to sign, preferring instead to kiss Arthur's cheek whenever a moment for hand holding might have been appropriate- a habit that Arthur has absolutely no protest with.

Lucas and Eliott's eyes light up at the motion, and Lucas actually _winks_ at Arthur, which Arthur rolls his eyes in response to. Just because Lucas and Eliott have declared themselves his 'gurus' doesn't mean that they get to take credit for all of Arthur's romantic and sexual success- he _did_ have plenty of game before he met them, after all.

Still, though, his level of annoyance towards Lucas is rather low, far lower than it ever got last year. Arthur would much rather have Lucas teasing him about boys than having him pulling all the shit he did last school year.

His fondness for Lucas, however, isn't going to stop Arthur from pulling Pierre away from him and Eliott to dance, though. Arthur leads Pierre to the middle of the living room- all of Arthur's shit is currently sitting in the linen closet and Lucas and Eliott's bedroom for the course of the party- where they can dance together in the middle of the crowd, right next to Noée and Alexia, in the middle of a party that doesn't judge them for not dancing to the beat of music that they can't hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: Arthur and Pierre go on their third/fourth? date and hook up for the first time, Eliott has an episode, and Arthur's mother shows up...not necessarily in that order, though.
> 
> Are you guys still enjoying this so far? I hope that this chapter was as engaging as the last, and that the "drama" for Arthur and Elu was plenty engaging without having to drag in cheating plots or comments about the same. I tried to show a decently realistic problem that Lucas and Eliott would be working through, as well as their rather healthy way of working it out through communication. I also wanted to show the parallels with Lucas and Arthur, and I hope I also achieved that.
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment if you enjoyed it or if there was some aspect of the season that you wished I'd included/hope I don't include going forward! I'm going to be steering as far clear of any sort of cheating plot/car accidents as possible, but I might have forgotten a cute scene or two that some of you might want in this AU! version of events.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you all think? Is this a decent fix-it to the season? I really hope so as I had a lot of fun writing it and getting out so many of my feelings regarding the show, but I hope you guys all like it too! Please feel free to leave a comment if you liked it/also feel a bit screwed over by what they did with the writing this season.
> 
> Also I might continue this if anyone's interested! I've got a few ideas about where this might go next and if anyone wants that, feel free to let me know!
> 
> Alright, there will now be a second chapter, from Arthur's POV continuing on to the next series of events. It will feature Arthur&Lucas bonding over their shitty fathers, Arthur getting a boyfriend, and a little bit of Elu drama (but also them being cute and learning to communicate and being soulmates so don't worry)- and absolutely not a drop of cheating drama to be seen!


End file.
